Hammer and Relay
by maybesomedaysameen
Summary: Sameen and Root make a great team, but even Superheroes have their squabbles. Super Hero AU


The Steel Hammer raced across the New York City rooftop and jumped on the railing, squatting to lay her bare hands on the rusted metal. She blinked, letting her power run down her shoulders, through her arms, and into her fingers. The whole city buzzed through her, screaming and pulsing as people lived their lives. It was a thrill to bond with the metal, using the city's iron and steel to expand herself.

When she'd first discovered her ability, Hammer wouldn't use it. She'd hidden it for years, used her lack of emotion as a way to control it. It wasn't until high school, until she was 16, when she'd lost control for the first time. A boy had touched her, grabbed her and tried to force himself on her and she had destroyed him. Pulled the iron from his blood and shot it through his heart.

She'd moved to New York City, fallen in with a bad crowd, and clawed her way to the top of the food chain. Now, almost 20 years later, Hammer was a master craftsman, well-trained and precise. She could feel her way through the whole city in a second, find anybody anywhere. Right now, she was only feeling for one person.

Hammer was out for blood today, the thunderclouds above her reflecting her mood. She was angry, the only emotion she was comfortable with, and she was ready to fight. Relay, her biggest rival, had locked her away last night, left her handcuffed to a bed. A loud noise had awoken her this morning and she'd found Relay standing next to her.

'Free yourself,' Relay had said, mocking her, 'and come find me.'

Hammer had been chasing her for hours now, but Relay kept turning into lightning and disappearing into the sky. It was hardly a fair advantage. Focusing, Hammer looked through the copper wires of New York City's electrical grid, but she couldn't feel Relay moving around. She did sense Finch in his library and raised her hand to open their comm link before her could call.

"Hello, Birdman." Hammer smiled at the exasperated sigh on the other end. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Miss Steel. I do wish you'd just call me Finch."

"Where's the fun in that?" She stood, looking up at the sky and wondering which flash of lighting was her prey. "Have you heard from Relay today? Bitch left me handcuffed to my bed this morning."

"Metal handcuffs are hardly a problem for you."

Hammer threw her arms up. "It's the principle of the thing, Birdman. I'm a hero, not a criminal. She's supposed to be on our team!"

"Is she?" Finch answered. "In the 7 years we've all been working together, I've never been quite sure whose side she's on."

Hammer frowned. She wasn't willing to have to same arguments over and over again. Relay was on their team. She'd proven herself more than enough times and Hammer would gladly put her life in Relay's hands. Just because Relay didn't always come to team meetings or follow Birdman's orders didn't mean she was on someone else's side.

"Did you want something?" Hammer asked with a voice like steel.

He cleared his throat. "It looks like there's a water dragon in Central Park."

"A water dragon?" Hammer scoffed. "How do you kill water?"

A bolt of lightning struck the roof across from Hammer and a woman stepped out of the light. The smell of ozone overwhelmed Hammer's senses and she rolled her eyes, hopping back off the railing. Relay was always overdramatic, appearing out of lightning or dropping from telephone wire, crawling out of a computer screen at 2 AM.

Relay waved, the glove of her supersuit leaving electric trails. "Hey, babe!"

"Don't 'hey, babe' me," Hammer answered. "I'm pissed at you."

"I'm sorry for locking you up in a way that didn't even stop you for a whole minute." Relay jumped forward onto the ledge of her roof and turned on her toes. "Tell us more about this dragon, Harold."

Hammer put her hands on her hips. "Seriously, how can you hear us when you're in lightning form?"

"Don't worry about it, babe."

Relay's mask covered her whole face, but Hammer watched electricity swirl through her eyes and scowled. Relay could be infuriating sometimes, adorable and obnoxious at the same time. They'd first met 10 years ago when Relay kept showing up, obstructing justice and annoying Hammer half to death. It took 3 years to let Birdman put her on the team and another 5 years to get Birdman to trust her.

"Ladies, this is a bit time sensitive…"

"Go ahead, Birdman." Hammer said. She stuck her tongue out at Relay. "I'll keep her quiet."

"The dragon seems to be wearing a suit of armor. Chief Carter says she can see a 'pulsing red light' under the left side armor. I assume that's our target."

Relay's suit began to glow and slowly rose into the air, her hair floating around her shoulders with an invisible wind. Hammer hated to admit that Relay was hot, her tight black and yellow suit showing off long, delicate limbs and soft, subtle curves. Hammer's suit had cutouts, exposing her sides and her muscular sides, but Relay's suit covered everything, only her eyes and hair free. She crossed her arms.

"Does 'water dragon' mean a dragon made of water or a dragon that blows water?"

"I'd assume both," Harold replied, the sound of typing coming over their comm system. "Be careful. You know water is your weakness."

"Thanks, Harold." Relay grinned at Hammer. "Race you there?"

Hammer clenched her hands into fists, using the metal thread sewn into her supersuit to levitate herself slightly. She may not be able to zap through the air, riding the charges between the clouds and the ground, but she could make do. Harold had crafted this suit for her, just like he'd made The Dark Knight a suit that could dissolve into shadow. Relay had made her own.

Relay blew her a kiss and sped off, a trail of sparks flying behind her. Grinning, Hammer pushed of the railing, leaping into the air and jetting off. She followed the light from Relay, occasionally touching down on a streetlight to get her bearings.

Hammer didn't like flying. She preferred to be planted, stable and grounded. When she was in the air, she felt disconnected, like there was nothing else in the world. It made her feel the way she did when she was with Relay, alone, at night. Flying felt like air was sucked from her lungs, like static charge was buzzing in her veins, like all of her hair was standing on end.

Relay appeared in front of her with no warning and Hammer slammed to a halt to avoid crashing into her.

"We're almost there," Relay said, reaching out to run her hands down Hammer's suit, sending small bolts across the metal suit. "Want to make a plan?"

Hammer raised her hands, knocking Relay's hands away. "The plan is to either reason with the dragon or kill it. There – a plan."

It took Hammer a minute to realize Relay was smiling beneath her mask, but once she did, she moved herself around Relay's glowing body and continued on the way to Central Park. A second later, Relay flickered into view a few yards in front of her, before disappearing again.

Central Park came into view and with it, a large dragon seemingly made of water. It was taller than the trees, it's head massive and holding together despite just being water. Just under it's dripping wings, was a vest of armor, guarding a flickering red light. It looked like wrought iron, ornate, with small holes exposing the 'heart.' Hammer dropped onto a telephone pole across the street from the park.

She couldn't sense the vest from here. It was probably made of something other than real metal, preventing her from just crushing it and killing the dragon. One day, she was actually going to listen to Birdman and Relay and learn where these monsters came from.

They'd begun appearing almost 15 years ago. One day, Hammer had stepped out of her warehouse apartment and found a large eagle-like monster perched on a cellphone tower. She'd barely killed it, destroying half a city block and walking away with almost fatal wounds. Birdman had found her, taken her to a special hospital, made her a suit.

She'd worked with him and Dark Knight since then. Birdman had forbidden criminal activity, which was dumb, but he had saved her and she owed him. Besides, she got to use her power all the time now and for more than just robbing banks. Saving New York City was satisfying by itself, but Relay joining had brought fun into the mix. If something happened to Relay, Hammer would probably retire and go back to crime.

The dragon's head pulled back and water shot from its mouth into the sky like a fountain. Hammer jumped into the air, but she couldn't see anything. She tapped the comm. in her ear.

"Birdman, what's happening? The dragon looks upset."

"It's Relay," Finch answered. "She started fighting before you and Dark Knight joined her. I think something's happened."

The wind whipped her face before Hammer even knew she was flying. It only took her 30 seconds to get to the dragon and as she hovered in front of it, she could feel her face pale. Relay was inside of the dragon, her hands beating uselessly against its stomach, the light gone from her suit. Her powers were strong against water as long as it didn't touch her. Inside of the dragon, her powers were useless.

It didn't even matter that her powers were gone, Relay was still human. She could drown. Hammer yanked the comm. from her ear, dropping it to the ground, and sped forward. The dragon tried to spray her, but she swung to the side, avoiding its hose. She could see Relay's fighting slow, her eyes starting to roll back in her head.

Hammer stretched her arms in front of her face, fingers outstretched. When they met the surface of the dragon, the water tension tried to keep her out, but she burst through, immediately freezing cold. She hooked her arms under Relay's and used her momentum to push them through the other side. Once they were free from the dragon, she flew up, moving them out of its reach.

The cold air made her shiver, but she grit her teeth, tightening her grip around Relay. The usual warmth from Relay was gone and Hammer worried that she was already dead. Flying over the dragon's head, Hammer headed for the police cars keeping their distance from the beast. Crashing to the ground in front of Chief Carter, Hammer ripped Relay's mask off, pushing soaked hair from her face.

She could hear Detective Fusco keeping the other police back and knew he'd protect Relay's identity. Carter's worn boots appeared in her field of vison.

"Is she ok?" Hammer asked, looking at Carter as she knelt down. "My hands are too numb. I can't feel a pulse."

Carter yanked her gloves off, pressing her fingers to Relay's throat. After several long seconds, Carter nodded.

"She's alive. I'll take care of her while you fight."

Hammer took one more look at Relay's pale face and nodded. She climbed to her feet. That water dragon was fucking dead. Reaching for her comm., she remembered dropping it so it wouldn't be destroyed by the water.

She turned to look for it, but stopped when a head appeared already holding the small device. Taking it, she nodded to Dark Knight. His black suit was ridiculous as always, the cape somehow always flowing, even on a breezeless day. Hammer wouldn't be surprised if Birdman programmed it that way.

"Hey," she grunted, sticking the piece back in her ear, "what took you so long? Relay almost died."

The Dark Knight had the decency to look sheepish behind his eye mask. "I know. I'm sorry. There was another creature in Brooklyn."

"You're losing your touch." Hammer rubbed her hands together, trying to bring sensation back into them. "You used to be so fast, Wonder Boy."

"Don't call me that."

Hammer punched his shoulder. "I can't take you seriously as 'The Dark Knight.' I'm calling you Wonder Boy, like Robin."

Dark Knight rolled his eyes. "Robin was 'The Boy Wonder.'"

"So, you did name yourself after Batman," Hammer scoffed. "Loser."

"Can we just focus on killing the dragon that almost killed Relay?"

"Whatever, Wonder Boy."

Hammer turned her focus back to the dragon, trying to see a way to fight it. When she'd flown through it, nothing had leaked out, so they couldn't just pop it like a balloon. They had to get to its heart.

"Maybe I could make a big spike? And stab it?"

The Dark Knight shrugged. "You can't crush the vest?"

"It isn't metal. It's probably some sort of biotic material."

Her comm. chirped and Birdman's voice came through. "I normally would suggest trying to talk to it, but I don't think it has a mouth. Can you tell?"

"It doesn't," Hammer answered. "No facial features. It's like…a dragon-shaped gummi bear."

"You should deal with it before it starts raining," Finch suggested. "Who knows if the water will make it bigger."

They stared at it for another moment before Hammer shrugged.

"Ok, I'm just going to stab it through the heart and send it back to wherever it came from. Probably, Hell."

She strode forward, lifting her hands. The metal thread in her suit started writhing, pulling itself free from the stitches and snaking its way into the air. When the thread was free, floating around her, she clenched her hands into fists, shooting the thread towards the dragon.

As it lunged at the dragon's heart, it twisted in on itself, folding again and again until it was almost an inch thick, a spike. It stopped in front of the Dragon's vest, hovering in front of the heart. Any other creature and Hammer would kill it from a distance, but this one was personal.

She started running, focusing herself on the end of the spike. Her mouth fill with the taste of steel. When she was almost close enough, she yelled for Dark Knight.

"Shadow Step!"

She leapt into the air, no metal in her suit to help her fly. Before she started to fall, a shadow disk appeared beneath her and shot her into the air towards her spike. Dark Knight created another when she started to dip again, and she took one final jump forward. Swinging her legs up, she shoved the spike through the vest, sinking the end into the dragon's heart with a sickening squelch.

Hammer kicked off the spike, flipping through the air. The thread unraveled itself, rapidly pulling away from the dragon, chasing after her and weaving itself back into her suit. She stopped fall a foot from the ground, landing with a soft thump.

Above her, the dragon swayed, large gallon-sized drops of water falling from its form. Hammer stared up at its heart, waiting until the light went out before turning around and running away. She made it back to the police cordon stopped next to Dark Knight.

Another set of large drops fell and the dragon lost its form, the water suddenly succumbing to gravity and soaking everyone around it. Hammer groaned loudly, somehow wetter than she was inside of the dragon.

"I hate this crap," she growled. "The next creature needs to be made of fabric or something comfortable. Ugg Boots. Fleece. Enough of this fire and water shit. I'm going to rust."

"Good job," Dark Knight answered, completely dry.

He must have turned to shadow when the water fell, avoiding it completely. Hammer rolled her eyes and looked down at Relay. She was still pale, but she was sitting up, Carter keeping her steady with an arm around her shoulders.

Hammer knelt next to her, knees sinking into the grass and mud. "How are you feeling?"

"Damp," Relay answered, trying to smile. "Very, very damp."

"Well, maybe if you'd waited for backup, you wouldn't be half-dead right now."

Hammer nodded to Carter, who moved away. She wouldn't say it out loud, but the dull look in Relay's eyes made her worry. She may not have drowned, but her spark was definitely gone. It would take a lot of electricity to bring her back to full strength. Hammer reached out and pushed soaked hair from Relay's face.

"Sorry," Relay whispered, looking up into Hammer's eyes. "I should have waited. I'll do better next time."

"You'd better." Hammer took a deep breath and cleared her throat moving away. "Let's get some energy in you." She looked around, spotting Fusco and Carter standing nearby, clearly listening in. "One of you got a taser?"

"Yeah," Fusco answered, pulling the small weapon off his belt and tossing it to her. "Sparky gonna be ok?"

Relay tilted her head, looking intimidating even from the ground. "Are you worried about me, Lionel? That's sweet."

"Go jump a car."

Hammer rolled her eyes, holding the taser away from herself. It was one thing to be shocked by Relay, that felt safe and warm. It was another to be shocked by a taser, the manmade electricity was harsh and jarring. It was one of their off-limit items. Relay could push Hammer to her brink in almost any other way, but false electricity was a no-go for the metal Super.

She pushed the button, the electric snapping to life with a loud crack. Holding the light toward Relay, Hammer and the others watched as she stuck her finger into the circuit. The electricity raced up her arm, jumping into her eyes. Relay's supersuit flickered slightly, the power from the taser not enough to fully revive it.

After a moment, the taser's spark dimmed and went out completely. Relay's eyes continued to glow, like the afterimage of a bright flash. Hammer crushed the taser with her hand, tossing it to the side. She ignored Fusco's protests and watched color come back into Relay's face.

She wasn't totally healed, but it was safe to move her now. Hammer slid her hands under Relay's arms and pulled her to her feet. They almost slipped on the mud, but managed to get upright and somewhat steady. Hammer glanced over her shoulder at The Dark Knight.

"I'm taking her back to my place," she said, ignoring the hair on her arms rising as Relay pressed herself against Hammer's body. "I'll meet up with you guys tomorrow to debrief."

The Dark Knight nodded. "Feel better, Relay." He dissolved into shadow and disappeared.

Hammer huffed. "Why am I the only one who can't teleport? I can't even fly with you like this."

The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she looked back at Relay. Her eyes looked better, the light in them fading as her body absorbed the energy. She grinned at Hammer, reaching up to trace a finger across her metal mask.

"We gotta dry you off," Relay said, her breath rumbling in her chest like thunder, "and I need a nap."

"I know," Hammer sighed. She turned to Carter. "Can we get a ride?"

Carter nodded, smirking. "Fusco can take you. You save the day and we have to drive you home. You're worse than my kid."

Hammer rolled her eyes, starting towards Fusco's car. "Taylor gets an allowance. I'm at the mercy of a reclusive millionaire."

"Speaking of," Carter started, "have you bought Taylor's gift yet?"

"His birthday," Relay breathed, leaning on Hammer as they walked. "I forgot! We still have a few days until the party. We'll get something."

Fusco snorted. "Don't get him anything too weird. The four of you always buy the weirdest presents."

"Lee likes his hoverboard!" Hammer protested. She stopped next to Carter's car, waiting until Fusco pulled the door open. "I spoke at his school the other day, so I know it's true."

"Sure, he likes it," Fusco responded, stepping aside so Hammer could help Relay into the car. "That doesn't make it not weird."

"Here," Carter said, holding out Relay's mask, "Don't forget this."

Hammer lifted Relay's legs into the car and straightened up. She turned to Carter, smiling when she saw the mask. "Thanks, Carter."

"See you later, Shaw," Carter said, barely louder than a whisper. She cleared her throat and stepped back. "No! Thank you, Steel Hammer! You've saved the day!"

The police around them began applauding and Hammer rolled her eyes. "Ok. Enough. This happens like twice a day."

She dropped into the back of Fusco's car, slamming the door shut. Root immediately reached out to pull her mask off. She dropped it on the seat between them. Resting a hand on Shaw's cheek, Root smiled. The electricity from Root made Shaw's skin hum and Shaw's body acted like a conductor, moving power through them both.

"If you ever almost die again, I'll kill you."

Root laughed and the sky finally opened. Rain beat down on the car, drowning out Root's laugh with its intensity. Shaw just rolled her eyes, closing the space between them and pressing her lips to Root's. The driver's door opened and Shaw pulled away.

"Please," Fusco said, shutting the door and settling into his seat, "behave yourself on the drive home. None of your weird bickering foreplay crap."

"I'll behave if Root will," Shaw answered. She glared at Root. "I'm still mad at you for leaving me handcuffed this morning."

Root smirked. "We know it's impossible to keep you locked up. Against your will, anyway."

"Great," Fusco sniffed. He started the car. "Weird stuff it is."


End file.
